1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to brushing, scrubbing and general cleaning and more particularly to flue cleaners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many devices are known whose purpose is to serve as a chimney or flue cleaner. In our country's not too distant past, stoves for heating or cooking and fireplaces for general warmth were common in every household. The chimney sweep, as a profession, goes back to 19th century England where boys were employed to use rattan brushes on the end of a rod to clean a chimney of accumulated material.
The prior art collection of U.S. patents has reference as old as U.S. Pat. No. 77,466 which shows a ratchet jack arrangement giving a torque to a set of four chimney brushes for simultaneously cleaning all sides of a chimney. Other prior art references, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,629,990 and 1,801,718, both to Buchholtz, disclose adjustable chimney cleaners utilizing rods on which a spider is centrally mounted. Flat springs are secured intermediate therein to the cross heads of the spider and are provided with the cleaning brushes. These references are typical of the attempt to solve the problem of chimney cleaning, especially cleaning of the heavy and adherent coating normally associated with the rosins generated by burning wood. Known prior art devices not only are obsolete, but unsatisfactory for this heavy duty work.
Examples of such other out-moded references include U.S. Pat. Nos. 328,967 to Oelschleger, 181,672 to Grimes, 1,500,886 to Nelson, 1,530,557 to Grube et al, 1,979,143 to Cullen and 2,284,391 to Hefle.
Thus, the cleaning of a chimney remains to this day, not only a dirty, inconvenient job, but one in which a need for truly suitable apparatus remains. There is therefore still a need for a chimney cleaner which, while of universal application, is especially intended to clean wood resin residue. The device ideally should be easy to assemble, disassemble and transport. Yet, while incorporating those features, it should nonetheless be easy to use by one of ordinary strength. Finally, the apparatus must be capable of being manufactured at a moderate price.